190623 Israel’s Advantages

Romans 9:1-5 I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— ² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. ⁴ They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. ⁵ To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

In the very beginning of this letter to the Romans Paul spoke about the advantages enjoyed by the Jewish nation. Romans 3:1-2 tells us: Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ² Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.

What belongs to Israel? This is the question that we are led to today. A question that can only be answered by looking at the advantages granted to the Jews. I hasten to include Paul’s statement in Romans 3:9. Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin”. With the great advantage granted to the Jews came a great responsibility as well. Obedience to God overrides all religious symbols such as circumcision — church membership — baptism — or denominational affiliation. All of these are like a wedding ring! They only count if the relationship is right. Baptism without belief has no meaning. Church membership without a faith relationship with Christ counts for nothing. Being a Baptist, Methodist, or Catholic only indicates our social relationships unless it includes the true faith in Christ. A wedding ring without a faithful commitment to the wedding vows is meaningless.

Yet, in our opening passage, Romans 9:1-5, we are given a list of advantages that cannot be ignored and should be able to be applied to our life today. To be recognized as part of the Jewish faith among other things a man must be circumcised. But unless it is accompanied by heart-faith that is meaningless.

Paul added in chapter 2:28-29,  For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. ²⁹ But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

Doctor Donald J. Barnhouse put it this way: “For he is not a Christian who is one outwardly, nor is that “church membership” which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Christian who is one inwardly; and “church membership” is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

With that in mind let’s look at the list Paul gave us in Romans chapter nine. He introduces the subject by stating that he had, personally, very great sorrow for the sake of his brothers. His sorrow was so great, that if it were possible, he would willingly have given up his place in heaven if it would bring them to salvation. Paul knew that he could not make a deal like that with God. He would have if he could. Yet, as he struggled with his great sorrow he gives us a list of advantages they had — and still do!

First of all, they had…

The Adoption. We are given a description from God’s viewpoint in Ezekiel 16:3-5. Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth are of the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite. ⁴ And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. ⁵ No eye pitied you, to do any of these things to you out of compassion for you, but you were cast out on the open field, for you were abhorred, on the day that you were born.

The descendants of Abraham were in great need. They were not chosen by God because they were somehow worthy of the choice. In fact, this picture that we have drawn for us in the book of Ezekiel describes a child with mixed parentage who was thrown into an open field and left to die. No one took pity on the baby until God came and chose her. God goes on to describe how he watched Israel grow up into a beautiful young lady. God adopted her and gave her everything she would ever need. Then after all that consideration by God, Israel, like Adam and Eve before them, rebelled against God.

You may ask, how does this apply to us? Just as the descendants of Abraham were adopted, so are those of us who have come to faith in him today. Abraham and his descendants need to be adopted by God.  We must also be adopted in order to be part of his family. As God’s children, we are related to one another as family members. In fact, adoption into God’s family makes us part of one family, even with the Old Testament believers. It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, children of the promise are counted as his descendants. The Jews had the adoption.

Next, we see that they had…

The Glory. Looking at Exodus 40:34-35. Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵ And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

Moses had seen the glory of God in ways that we never shall. Beginning with the bush that burned but never burned up and going on to a mountaintop covered with cloud and fire in the presence of God Moses saw God. At one point in his relationship with God when he came out of his meeting with God his face shined! People were afraid of him because his skin was so glorious. Moses had to cover his face so the people would not see the fading. He would then remove the veil when he spoke to God and come away shining proving that he had really been with God.

When the Tabernacle was constructed in the wilderness we have the account at the end of Exodus. The glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Even Moses could not enter it because the glory filled the tent.

Later, when Solomon erected the new temple God’s glory again filled it to the point that men could not enter it — neither the king nor a priest could do so!

In the year that King Uzziah died Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord filling the temple. The response is pretty much the same. They fell on their face and worshiped God! “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles  16:34b

There are many accounts of the glory of the Lord throughout the Bible. Once, near the little village of Bethlehem, the angels appeared to shepherds at Jesus’ birth, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.

Also among Israel’s advantages are the covenants. For example, we can look at God’s covenant with Abram.

The Covenants. Genesis 12:1-3. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Perhaps we need a definition of a Biblical covenant. A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely imposed legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship. Please note that there are some important provisions in this definition. One, it is unchangeable! Two, it is imposed by God! Three, it is a legal agreement! Four, it sets the parameters of the relationship between God and man. Let’s look at a couple of the covenants presented in the Bible.

First, we have the covenant between God and mankind set in the Garden of Eden. The word “covenant” does not appear in the narrative. However, in Hosea 6:7, we find this: “like Adam they transgressed the covenant.” When we read the Genesis account we see that Adam lived in a covenant relationship that he transgressed. Let’s go back to Genesis 12 because the covenant with Adam covered all mankind and we are concerned primarily about the covenants between God and Israel!

Let’s look at the conditions: one, God initiated the circumstances that established the covenant relationship. Two, God dictated the terms. Abram was instructed to go to a land God would show him. Three, God promised to make Abram a great nation. Not, Abram would become a great nation but God would make him into a great nation. Four, God would make Abram’s name great! Five, God would make Abram a blessing and through him bless all the families on the earth!

A third covenant is usually referred to as the Covenant of Grace. Mankind failed to obtain the blessing offered in the covenant with Abram, or Abraham, as he was later called. It became necessary for God to establish another covenant whereby man could be saved. This Covenant of Grace is what the Bible is all about. God clearly defines the conditions that worked out the relationship between himself and the people he would redeem. Be careful, don’t let it get into your head that God needed us somehow. God specifies the conditions and the essential elements of any covenant he is involved with.

The parties to this Covenant of Grace are God and the people he would redeem. Throughout the history of the world, it is very clear that man needs a mediator. Job recognized that fact. We find his testimony in Job 9:33 and 19:25-27. There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both.  and…  For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. ²⁶ And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, ²⁷ whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

The need for a mediator is pictured early the biblical account. Repeatedly, Moses mediated between God and Israel. His mediation rose to the point of telling God to take Moses’ name out of the book if God did not bring Israel through the wilderness. At another point, God offered to make Moses into a great nation to replace sinning Israel. Moses’ response was to remind God that if he did so the nations around them would say that God could not deliver his people in the wilderness. Such an arrangement would dishonor God! It is absolutely mind-blowing to think about telling God that he would be making a mistake.

What about this Covenant of Grace? Jesus is the mediator that was missing in the Covenant of Works. In order to participate in the Grace Covenant, it is essential to have faith in the finished work of Christ. That faith is not only the essential beginning of the relationship. Faith is the condition of continuing in that covenant. If our faith is genuine it will produce obedient results. Obedience to Christ is the necessary evidence that we are true believers. John put it this way, Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, ⁵ but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: ⁶ whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1 John 2:4-6.

 The promise in this covenant is one of eternal life with God. This promise is repeated frequently throughout the Old Testament and the New. God repeatedly said that he would be their God and they would be his people. This blessing finds its fulfillment in the church. And ultimately, in the new heaven and new earth. As John said in his vision of the age to come: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” Revelation 21:3

Moving back to where we started, we are reminded of Paul’s great love for his people. Many of us know the same kind of painful love. To have lost loved ones is indeed painful. Luther put it this way: “Love is not only pure joy, and delight, but also great and deep heaviness of heart and sorrow.” We pray for them and when given the opportunity we share the gospel. Their least need is a consistent witness growing out of our lifestyle. They need to be reminded that all have sinned and the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our lost loved ones need to be encouraged towards faith. They need to know that God showed his love for us in Christ on the cross. They need to know that if they will confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord believing in the heart that God raised him from the dead they will be saved! But it is essential that we bathe them in prayer! Do you know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? If you sense God pulling you don’t resist it! Today could be your day of salvation.

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton, Ill, Standard Bible Society.